


Bayu Bayushki Bayu

by Alasnirelan_Lavellan



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: BAMF Lavellan (Dragon Age), Chantry Bashing (Dragon Age), Chantry Issues, Dorian Has Self-Esteem Issues, Eventual Female Lavellan/Solas (Dragon Age), F/M, Family, Gen, Inquisitor & Dorian Pavus Friendship, Lavellan/Solas Angst (Dragon Age), POV Lavellan (Dragon Age), Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Sera Being Sera (Dragon Age), Vivienne (Dragon Age) is a Bitch, templar bashing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:00:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28580892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alasnirelan_Lavellan/pseuds/Alasnirelan_Lavellan
Summary: My Lavellan's story as she falls hard for Solas, and he falls for her in return. Alasnirelan, known to her friends as Alana, never should have been at the conclave that day. But she was, and that set the rest off her life, be it by destiny or pure happenstance, Alana's quiet life living with her clan was shattered. For better, or for worse.
Relationships: Dorian Pavus/Original Male Character(s), Female Lavellan/Solas, Fen'Harel | Solas/Original Female Character(s), Male Lavellan/Dorian Pavus
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so first I'd like to thank user Redpandalavellan for inspiring me to write this fic with their story about their own Lavellan. I hope anyone who reads this enjoys the fic, and it isn't too confusing!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so first I'd like to thank user Redpandalavellan for inspiring me to write this fic with their story about their own Lavellan. I hope anyone who reads this enjoys the fic, and it isn't too confusing!

Alasnirelan had her coat pulled up over her face as she hid in the shadows of the room. Something big was going down at the conclave, and her clan wanted to know that it wouldn't affect them negatively. Not to say that everything humans do doesn't negatively affect her people, Alasnirelan thinks bitterly. She brought her fingers to her staff for reassurance. It was currently camouflaged so as to not draw attention to her, but it was still easy enough access that it would be on hand in a fight. She was listening to the people bicker, their circular arguments grating on her nerves. 

If she wasn't the first of their clan due to succeed Keeper Deshanna, she wouldn't be here. The keeper is well aware of her opinions on humans, and she had only agreed to this at his pressing. He was unable to go himself, as he needed to look after the clan, but he needed the elf here to be someone he trusted implicitly to be here on their behalf. 

It seems the arguments were going nowhere, when all of a sudden, everything seemed to explode. Alasnirelan caught a couple snippets of what happened afterwards, but she was just met by blackness and a few whispered words.

"Run while you can! Warn them!" She heard, just before she woke. 

Alasnirelan jolted awake with a start, glancing around the cell she seemed to be occupying. He hands were bound in front of her, and she is in some strange fabric, not at all the coat she had been wearing last she remembered. Her hair is still pulled back in its traditional braiding, even if it is much messier than usual. She had barely gotten that cursory glance at her surroundings before the door burst open. 

Two humans walk in, one in armour and with short black hair, and the other in a coat that hides her face. The black haired woman approaches Alasnirelan with an angry look on her face. 

"Tell me why we shouldn't kill you right now." Alasnirelan internally rolls her eyes at that. Humans, always thinking they're better than everyone else. Did she get caught at the conclave? Why can't she remember?

"The conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead. Except for you." Alasnirelan's eyes widen at that. There were so many people there. How could they all be dead? She is in disbelief, but she stays quiet. Alasnirelan knows all too well that humans incriminate you if you give too much information. 

Then the human grabs her arm, and her hand starts glowing green, to her shock. 

"Explain this." The black haired human grits out, and Alasnirelan's plan of staying quiet goes out the window. 

"What is that?" She exclaimed, both surprise and pain from the hand currently flaring taking over any plans she had previously. 

"You must know what it is! What happened at the Conclave?" The human raises her voice, and Alasnirelan narrows her eyes in response, snapping back at the woman. 

"I don't know what that is, or how it got there!" She says, and the human lunges for her. 

"You're lying!" She exclaims, but before she can do anything else, the other human she woman walked into the room with pulls her back, exclaiming

“Don’t Cassandra, we need her.” The woman, Cassandra, tenses for another moment before relenting to the other human. Alasnirelan, on the other hand, is internally panicking. They need her? What could they need her for? She knows all too well that it’s never a good thing when humans need one of the elvhen. She feels the urge to mess with her hair again, and reaches to do so before being stopped by the shackles. Right, she’s caged like a dangerous animal, she had almost forgotten.

“I can’t believe it, all those people, dead.” Alasnirelan says. She may not care much for humans, but there were so many of them at the conclave. How could they all be dead?

“Do you remember what happened? How this began?” the other woman, the ginger, asks her, standing calmly. Alasnirelan strains her memory, trying to remember what had happened.

“I remember running, screaming, being chased. A woman.” The ginger human looks at Alasnirelan strangely.

“A woman?” 

“She was saying something, but I can’t remember-” Alasnirelan trails off, and Cassandra turns to the ginger woman.

“Go to the forward camp Leliana, I will take her to the rift.” This causes Alasnirelan to internally panic. The rift? Is that some kind of human execution chamber? Is she going to die here? She sends a silent prayer to Mythal and Falon’Din, in hopes that they will protect her or guide her in the journey to the afterlife if that is what becomes of her. She wonders if her keeper will ever know what happened to her. She’s getting older, she was due to take over as keeper soon, they all knew the time was coming. What would her clan do without a keeper to guide them if both she and Keeper Deshanna were gone? 

Alasnirelan gets her thought interrupted by the human, Cassandra, standing right in front of her. To her immense surprise, the human kneels down and unlocks the cuffs on her hands. Out of instinct she moves to touch something to ground her, her hair, her vallaslin, her staff, something, but her hands are still bound. She sees the human tense at her subconscious gesture, so she just smooths the cloth of the strange clothing on her body before getting to her feet. 

However, when she stands, the ground feels foreign, almost like she’s walking along fabric instead of the hard stone she had just been sitting on. She sees something covering her feet, preventing them from feeling the ground beneath her. This disconnect from her surroundings frightens her. She uses the texture and feeling from the ground around her to discern her surroundings. With her feet covered, it feels almost as though her sense of space has been blinded. It’s as if she’s been cut off from one of her senses, and it terrifies her. She hadn’t realised that she had followed Cassandra out of the prison during her freakout about her lack of connection and awareness due to the senses from her feet being cut off.

When she glances at the sky, she stops with a jolt. There’s a swirling green vortex in the sky! Cassandra notices Alasnirelan’s staring and begins to talk. 

“We call it The Breach. It’s a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour. It’s not the only such rift, just the biggest one. All were caused by the explosion at the conclave.” Alasnirelan’s eyes widen at that, all of this from an explosion that killed everyone who had been at the conclave? 

“An explosion can do that?” She asks in shock, and Cassandra turns to face her.

“This one did. Unless we act quickly, the breach may grow until it swallows the world.” Suddenly the breach in the sky pulses, and Alasnirelan feels a sharp pain in her hand which causes her to sink to her knees. Looking at it, it's glowing the same shade as the breach in the sky, and it makes Alasnirelan terrified for what that means for her future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mythal: The Great Protector  
> Falon'Din: Friend of the dead, The Guide


	2. Meeting Solas and Varric

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alasnirelan meets Varric and Solas and fights a couple demons.

Alasnirelan's hand stopped flairing as quickly as it started, leaving only a lingering pain to show it was ever there. Cassandra kneels down before Alasnirelan.

"Each time the breach expands, your mark spreads. And it is killing you. We don't have much time." Cassandra looks at her expectantly, and Alasnirelan knows what she wants. Cassandra wants her to blindly volunteer to help close the breach.

"You think I did this? To myself?" Alasnirelan asks skeptically, and Cassandra just stares at her.

"It is clear that something went wrong. You want to prove your innocence? Help us close the breach." Alasnirelan, sighs, but nods.

"I'll do whatever I can to help." 

Cassandra offers her a slight smile at that.

"Then let's get going." They walk through a sea of humans, all glaring at Alasnirelan for something she didn't do. Cassandra is monologuing about them needing someone to blame, but Alasnirelan isn't paying much attention. That is, until Cassandra cuts the ropes binding her wrists together.

"I can promise you a trial, but no more than that." Alasnirelan nods at that. She flexs her wrists a couple times, thankful that they're now free from their bindings. Cassandra motions to her to to follow, and Alasnirelan does, but not before tracing some of the swirls on her vallaslin as grounding. The world has turned upside-down, but some things are still the same. Her vallaslin is permanent, tattooed onto her body to honor the god Elgar'nan. She really wants to fix her braiding, but she sees Cassandra glaring at her, so Alasnirelan follows while also undoing her braids. She decides not to braid her hair up behind her head, instead just pulling it into two pigtail braids on either side of her head. She can fix them later, if she's still alive. If she dies, hopefully her body will be sent back to her clan for a proper burial. Alasnirelan notes that her thoughts have turned quite morbid, so she refocuses on the task ahead of her. Just then is when her hand flairs up again, sending her to her knees. Cassandra pulls Alasnirelan to her feet. 

"The pulses are coming faster now. The larger the breach grows, the more rifts appear, the more demons we face." 

"How did I survive the blast" Alasnirelan asks, curious, but also dreading the answer.

"They said you stepped out of a rift, and then fell unconscious. They say a woman was in the rift behind you. No one knows who she was-" Cassandra's explanation gets cut off by the bridge beneath them crumbling, sending the both of them tumbling towards the ground. As both Cassandra and Alasnirelan land hard on the ground, something green flys out of the sky straight towards them. Two demons come pouring out into the open.

"Stay behind me!" Cassandra exclaims, rushing into battle. But Alasnirelan isn't going to try anyone with her life without helping, let alone a human. She glances around and spots a staff lying in some rubble. It's clearly crudely made, but it'll do in this pinch. She grabs it and rushes towards battle, flinging any magic she can muster at the demons. Both demons are made quick work of, but then Cassandra turns towards Alasnirelan with her sword pointed out at her.

"Drop your weapon. Now." Alasnirelan looks at her incredulously.

"Do you really think I need a staff to be dangerous?" She snaps, and Cassandra waves her sword closer.

"Is that supposed to reassure me?" 

"I haven't used my magic on you yet." Alasnirelan snaps back at her, and Cassandra sighs and puts her weapon away, much to Alasnirelan's surprise.

" You're right. You don't need a staff, but you should have one. I cannot protect you. I should remember you came willingly." This woman kept surprising her, first by answering her questions and not saying anything derogatory, and now by agreeing with her about her having a weapon. She hands Alasnirelan a couple healing potions, which she looks at in surprise.

"Take these potions. Maker knows what we will face." She wants to roll her eyes at the mention of the human's god, but refrains in hope of not angering the human. Instead, she changes the topic.

"Where are all your soldiers?" 

"At the forward camp, or fighting. We are on our own, for now." Cassandra says, and Alasnirelan barely refrains from from stating that she really doesn't want to be surrounded by more humans. Apparently Keeper Istimaethoriel's lessons were good for something if she's managing to hold her tongue around this human, at least for right now. The both of them kept walking until they came across more demons, which they made quick work of. The both of them walk up a staircase, and the sound of weapons being fired is slowly getting louded.

"We're getting closer to the right. You can hear the fighting." Cassandra says, and Alasnirelan glances back at her.

"Who's fighting?" 

"You'll see soon. We must help them." Cassandra says as she rushes forward

Alasnirelan and Cassandra arrive at the rift where several people are fighting. They manage to clear out the demons easy enough, but then someone comes behind Alasnirelan and points her hand at the rift sealing it shut. Alasnirelan whips around to see... another Elvhen mage? Thank god she's not the only one anymore.

"what did you do?" She asked in awe, wondering how this mage had managed to close the rift.

"I did nothing. The credit is yours." He says with a small smile, and Alasnirelan can't help but smile back.

"At least this is good for something." 

"Whatever magic opened the breach in the sky also placed that mark upon your hand. I theorized that the mark might be able to close the rifts that have opened in the breach's wake- and it seems I was correct."

"Meaning it could close the breach itself." Cassandra jumps in hopefully, and Alasnirelan just sighs at the thought of more expectations being placed on her. 

"Possibly. It seems you hold the key to our salvation." the Elvhen mage says, and Alasnirelan just screams internally "Great. What next?"

"Good to know. Here I thought we'd be ass-deep in demons forever." An unfamiliar voice interjects, and Alasnirelan turns and sees a beardless dwarf with a crossbow slung across his back. He walks towards the group, introducing himself with a smile.

"Varric Tetheras. Rogue, storyteller, and occasionally, unwelcome tagalong." He winks in Cassandra's direction, and she then scoffs at his antics. This causes Alasnirelan to let out a slight smile. Varric's attitude reminds her of Day, and her heartaches for her clan.

"Alasnirelan of Clan Lavellan. It's nice to meet you Varric." She doesn't know why she gave out her name, she normally refrains from doing so around strangers. But she just gets this good feeling from the group, they type of feeling that makes her want to smile and have a good time, despite the circumstances.

"You may reconsider that stance, in time." the mage retorts with a smile, and Varric bites back.

"Aww, I'm sure we'll become great friends in the valley Chuckles." Cassandra immediately jumps into the conversation with a glare sent Varric's way.

"Absolutely not. Your help is appreciated Varric, but-" the dwarf cuts her off before she can start telling him to leave.

"Have you been in the valley lately seeker? Your people aren't in control anymore. You need me." Cassandra lets out a disgusted noise before turning away from the fight. Varric gains a smug smile, probably knowing he's won the fight.

"My name is Solas, if there are to introductions. I am pleased to see you still live." Before she can inquire as to what that means, the dwarf jumps in helpfully.

"He means: I kept that mark from killing you while you slept."

"You seem to know a great deal about the breach." Alasnirelan offers, hoping to get more information out of Solas.

"Like you, Solas is an apostate." Cassandra offers.

"Technically now all mages are apostates Cassandra. I've learned a great deal about the fade duringmy travels, far more than that of any circle mage. I came to offer whatever help I can with the breach. If it is not closed, we are all doomed, regardless of origin." Solas states in a calm tone of voice.

"That's a commendable attitude." Alasnirelan states. She doesn't know if she'd be here voluntarily, if given the choice.

"Merely a sensible one. Though sense seems to be in short supply right now." He turns to Cassandra before continuing to talk.

"Cassandra, you should know that the magic here is unlike any I have ever seen. Alasnirelan is a mage, but I find it difficult to imagine any mage having such power." Cassandra nods in acknowledgement.

"Understood. We must get to the forward camp quickly." The two quickly walk off towards the path, and Varric walks up next to Alasnirelan.

"Well... Bianca's excited!" He exclaims, and before Alasnirelan can ask who or what Bianca is, he walks forward to join the rest of the group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this section is a bit liney, I'll try to vary from the traditional dialogue a bit more in the coming chapters. But I'm making my way through!


	3. Closing the Breach. Maybe.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alasnirelan and co. attempt to close the breach for the first time.

They walked down the path, fighting their way through the demons with ease. While walking up some stairs after fight, Varric asks the question that's probably on everyone's mind. 

"So... Are you innocent?"

"I don't know. I can't remember anything that happened." Alasnirelan answers truthfully, and Varric lets out a hearty laugh.

"That'll get you every time. should've spun a story." Yup, he definitely reminds her of Day, she thinks to herself with a small smile.

"That's what you would've done." Cassandra admonished, and Alasnirelan had to cover up her laugh. Not that she'd say it to her face, but Cassandra sounded exactly like Keeper Istimaethoriel when he was scolding Day for whatever he had gotten into now.

"It's more believable and less prone to result in premature execution," Varric says, and Cassandra doesn't get her chance to retort because they come upon a cluster of demons. They take care of the demons easily, but worry is evident on Cassandra's face.

"I hope Leliana made it through all this."

"She's resourceful seeker," Varric says, both belittling and refuting Cassandra's fears with what seems to be practised ease.

"We shall see for ourselves when we get to the forward camp. We're almost there." Solas says, effectively ending the conversation. But before they reach the camp, they happen upon another rift. They clear up the demons, and Alasnirelan closes the rift with the mark just like Solas showed her with the first one. Alasnirelan realises she's standing right at the doors to the camp when Cassandra yells to the guards.

"The rift is closed! Open the gate!"

"Right away, Lady Cassandra." One of the guards responds, pushing the gate open. Alasnirelan walks into the camp, and she sees the ginger from the interrogation room, Leliana, arguing with someone from the Chantry. Yay, human religion, just what she needs right now, Alasnirelan thinks sarcastically, but she continues to walk forward.

"You made it. Chancellor Roderick, this is-" the chantry man interrupts with a sneer on his face.

"I know who she is. As grand chancellor of the chantry, I hereby order you to take this criminal to Val Royeaux to face execution."

"You order me? You are a glorified clerk! A bureaucrat!" Cassandra snaps at him. Alasnirelan smiles at that. While Cassandra may not be on her side, she definitely isn't on this guys side either.

"And you are a thug, but a thug who supposedly serves the Chantry!"

"We serve the most holy, as you well know Chancellor," Leliana interjects with an icy tone.

"Justinia is dead! We must elect a replacement and obey her orders on the matter!" Alasnirelan was watching this in disbelief. Screw Keeper Istimaethoriel's lessons on diplomacy with humans, they are standing in front of her arguing her fate like she isn't right there!

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" She snaps, and the Chantry man glares at her.

"You shouldn't even be here!" They argue for a bit longer about how to proceed, but then she whips around and asks Alasnirelan.

"How do you think we should proceed?" 

"Now you're asking me what I think." She says indignantly, and Solas gives her another charming smile.

"You have the mark."

"And since we cannot decide on our own.." Cassandra says, trailing off. Alasnirelan understands now. Have her make the hard decision, so she's the one to blame if it fails. She considers the options before choosing the mountain path. As they walk out, the Chancellor looks like he's swallowed something bitter, and addresses Cassandra as she walks out.

"On your head be the consequences, Seeker." They walk to the mountain path in silence. Alasnirelan is thinking about what might happen and makes a split-second decision.

"Cassandra?" She asks, and the human seems surprised at being addressed, but she still acknowledges Alasnirelan speaking.

"If- if I don't make it out of this alive, can you please have my remains sent back to my clan so I may be given my Death Rites?" Cassandra seems surprised at Alasnirelan's request, but nevertheless agreed.

"Yes, I see no point in forcing you to remain away from them in death," Cassandra says, though Alasnirelan can tell she doesn't really get it. That fact seems to dawn on Solas as well. Even though his bare face clearly proclaims him as non-dalish, he clearly understands the importance of burial rites to her.

"Not to worry. If they protest, I shall bring your remains to your clan myself. I will not have them deny you Din'anshiral." He says to her softly. Alasnirelan is shocked at the sentiment but nevertheless smiles at his kindness.

"Ma serannas, Solas," she whispers to the other elf in the party, and they continue into the mountain with a melancholy mood. The mood didn't lighten when the found some dead soldiers outside of the mine.

"Guess we found the soldiers," Varric says softly, none of the playful tone Alasnirelan had come to expect from him in his voice. 

"This can't be all of them," Cassandra says, and Solas responds with a hopeful tone.

"So the others could still be alive up ahead?" Solas's guess proved prophetic when they rounded a corner and spotted soldiers fighting. After closing yet another rift, this is going to become a thing, isn't it, Alasnirelan thinks to herself, and Solas walks up behind her.

"Sealed, as before. You are becoming quite proficient at this." Alasnirelan, to her chagrin, feels a slight blush appear on her face, which she beats back with a stick.

"Let's hope it works on the big one," Varric interjects, and Alasnirelan is thankful for the distraction. 

"Thank you for coming Lady Cassandra. I'm not sure we could've held out much longer." The lieutenant says, and Cassandra once again does something that surprises her.

"Thank the prisoner. She insisted we come this way." A human giving credit to an elf? What kind of a human is Cassandra anyways?

"The prisoner? Then you.." The lieutenant trails off, seemingly not knowing what to say.

"It was worth saving you if we could," Alasnirelan says, and the lieutenant's eyes widen in surprise.

"Then you have my sincere gratitude," she says, and Alasnirelan is just confused. Why are all these humans being nice to her? They do realize she's a dalish elf, right? They can't be that stupid.

The group continues towards the temple of sacred ashes, and Alasnirelan stares grimly up at the breach. Varric, ever the tension breaker, asks a question.

"So... holes in the Fade don't just accidentally happen, right?" 

'If enough magic is brought to bear, it is possible." Solas responds, and Varric just quips back.

"But there are easier ways to make things explode." 

"That is true" Solas concedes. Cassandra, clearly done with their talking, buts into the conversation.

"We will consider how this happened once the immediate disaster has passed." She effectively ended the conversation there. They continue walking until they came upon-

"The Temple of Sacred Ashes." Solas comments.

"That is where you walked out of the fade and our soldiers found you," Cassandra says grimly as if suddenly reminded who Alasnirelan is and how she had met her. Cassandra continues talking.

"They say a woman was in the rift behind you. No one knows who she was." Cassandra finishes, and they continue their grim trek towards the breach. The enter the building, and the vortex is swirling high into the sky.

"The breach is a long way up," Varric says with a low whistle. Suddenly, Leliana rounds the corner behind everyone, and she exclaims

"You're here! Thank the maker." Alasnirelan scowls a little, but she goes right back to being serious after another glance at the breach.

"Leliana get your men into position," Cassandra says to her, and then she turns to Alasnirelan.

"This is your chance to end this. Are you ready?" Alasnirelan takes a deep breath, sends a prayer to Mythal, and nods.

"I'll try my best." She says, dubious of the breach.

"That's all we can ask of you," Cassandra says.

"That breach was the first, closing it is the key," Solas says, and Alasnirelan nods in understanding. It's time to fight. She sees a path off to the side, but instead of following it she just jumps over the two barriers between her and the rift. The others are dubious but follow her path. Then a scene is shown bleeding through the fade. A shadowy form holds the divine captive. "What's going on here?" Alasnirelan is shocked to hear her own voice come through, and Divine Justinia speaks the same words she had heard whispers of just before she had woken up.

"Run while you can! Warn them!" The shadowed figure turns towards where her voice had come from. He speaks to whoever is with him.

"We have an intruder. Slay the elf." suddenly the vision disappears, and Cassandra is immediately pestering her with questions.

"That was Divine Justinia's voice! Is what we're seeing real?" Alasnirelan cut her off very quickly.

"I don't remember!" she says, and before she can say anything else, Solas says to her.  
"Use the mark to reopen the rift so it can be closed properly. Quickly!" Right after he says that green light shoots out of her hand and reopens the rift, releasing a pride demon. It's hard to attack, but Alasnirelan discovers quickly that disrupting the rift makes it vulnerable. They fight it for what feels like hours, and when it goes back into the fade, she throws everything she had into closing the rift. the last thing she sees is a flash of green light, and then darkness claims her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dalish Death Rites: A sacred procedure for the dalish that is followed so Falon’Din guides one of their people to the Beyond, the realm where the dead dwell.  
> Din'anshiral: A journey of death  
> Ma serannas: my thanks (Thank you)  
> Once again, sorry for direct dialogue, but we've made it through the prologue, which makes it significantly easier to vary the dialogue after this point!


	4. And Then She Woke Up (and was proclaimed a hero?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alasnirelan wakes up at Haven. But what is waiting for her there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I was today years old when I found out that Ianto Jones from Torchwood is played by Gareth David-Lloyd, the same man who voices Solas. I love Torchwood, but I don't know if I'll ever emotionally recover after this. And I thought Trespasser broke me.

Alasnirelan groans as she wakes up on something way too soft to be her cot. She glances around the room and notices she's in some kind of house. That's all the observations she gets out of the way before another elf comes in, and she sees that Alasnirelan is awake, she drops the box she had been carrying.

"I didn't know you were awake, I swear!" She proclaimed, sounding terrified. Alasnirelan, in her tired state, has absolutely no sense of tact. 

"Why are you frightened? What happened?" The elf seems to grow more terrified if that was possible.

"I've said the wrong thing haven't I?" She proclaimed, and Alasnirelan looked at her in confusion.

"I don't think so?" She says, trying to figure out what's going on here.

"I humbly beg your forgiveness. You're back in Haven, My Lady." Alasnirelan has no idea what to do with being addressed as "My lady", but what happens next is even weirder. The elf drops to her knees as if to bow to her.

"I am but a humble servant. You closed the breach, with the mark on your hand. It's all anyone's been talking about." The elf, says, and Alasnirelan sighs.

"A trial happens now, I suppose." 

"I don't know anything about that. But Lady Cassandra would want to hear that you're awake, she said she wanted to know 'at once' " Alasnirelan sits on the side of the bed and notices that her hair is completely down, cascading in blonde waves down her back. She's in a different human outfit. Again. Glancing at her feet, she notices this one has fabric prisons too.

"Where is Cassandra?" Alasnirelan asks, and the elf looks at her while glancing at the door.

"In the chantry with the grand Chancellor. "At once," she said." the maiden then bolted out the door before Alasnirelan could ask her any more questions. Her hair always bothers her when it's down, it sets off her senses strange if it is. So she quickly and skillfully put it up in her traditional braiding. She can just hear Day asking her why she doesn't cut it short if it bothers her so much, and her sticking her tongue out in response. She then makes quick work removing the fabric prisons from her feet. She sighs in relief when she places her feet back on the ground, finally able to feel it again. Though she did frown when she couldn't find any of her clothes she had worn to the conclave in the room. She supposed she would have to make do with these human clothes until her after her trial or she could regain her clothes. She walked out the door and was immediately greeted by a bunch of people standing staring at her with their arms over their breasts. They're all whispering about her being the "Herald of Andraste" and she starts to walk quicker, uncomfortable with all of these people, mostly humans, staring at her and gossiping. She walked into the Chantry and can hear Chancellor Roderick and Cassandra arguing about... her?

"Have you gone completely mad? She should be taken to Val Royeaux immediately to be tried by whoever becomes Divine!" They are arguing about her! Before Alasnirelan could think anything through, she charged into the room, and everyone turned towards her.

"Chain her! I want her prepared for transport to Val Royeaux immediately." Alasnirelan goes to defend herself, but Cassandra surprises her once again.

"Ignore that, and leave us," Cassandra says, and the two soldiers nod and walk out of the room.

"You're walking a very thin line seeker," Roderick says, and Cassandra just looks at him with a deadpan expression. 

"The breach is stable, but it is still a threat. I will not ignore it." Cassandra says, and Alasnirelan looks are her and jumps in with her own opinion.

"After all that we did, I'm still a suspect?" She asks sceptically, though in reality she's not surprised. Something went wrong? Just blame an elf, she thinks bitterly.

"You absolutely are," Roderick says, and Cassandra snaps back at him.

"She is not"

"I'm getting some mixed signals here," Alasnirelan says sarcastically under her breath, and she gets a slight grin from Liliana for that.

"Someone who Divine Justinia trusted was behind the explosion at the conclave. They may still have allies among us." Leliana says, staring Roderick down.

"I am a suspect?" he says, sounding offended, and Alasnirelan lets out a snicker at his indignant tone.

"You among many others." 

"But not the prisoner, who has a glowing mark and walked out from the explosion"

"It was no coincidence that she was there. It was divine providence, she was placed here to help us. The Maker sent her in our darkest hour." Alasnirelan gives her an incredulous look, thinking Cassandra had forgotten who she was.

"You do realize I'm an elf. A Dalish Elf." she reminds Cassandra helpfully, and Cassandra scowls

"I had not forgotten. Whatever you are or you believe you were exactly what we needed when we needed it." Cassandra says turning away to grab something.

"The breach remains, and your mark is still our only hope of closing it." Leliana says, and Roderick seems to get fed up with everyone ignoring him.

"This is not for you to decide." he says, getting very huffy. Cassandra turns back around and throws a giant book on the table.

"Do you know what this is Chancellor? A writ from the Divine, granting us the authority to act. As of this moment, I declare the inquisition reborn. We will close the breach, we will restore order, with or without your approval." Cassandra says, and Chancellor Roderick just turns and runs without saying anything in response.

"This is the divine's directive. rebuild the inquisition of old, find those who will stand against the chaos, and we aren't ready. We have no leader, no numbers, and now no chantry support. " Leliana says to Cassandra, clearly worried. Cassandra also looks worried, but holds her head up high.

"But we have no choice. We must act now, with you at our side." Cassandra says, turning to Alasnirelan, to her surprise.

"If you're truly trying to restore order..." Alasnirelan says, trailing off

"That is the plan."

"Help us fix this before it's too late." Cassandra says stretching her arm out for a handshake. Alasnirelan grasps her hand and gets a smile from Cassandra.

The next day, Alasnirelan walks into the chantry, still rather disoriented over all of this. She is staring at her hand, the deep thrum of her nerves constantly reminding her of its presence. Cassandra notices her staring at it and questions her.

"Does it trouble you?" she asks, and Alasnirelan glances up at her, still unused to the human's concern.

"I just wish I knew what it was, and how I got it."

"We will find out. The good news is both the mark and the breach are stable, and we have time to get ready for a second assault on the breach. Solas believes that we can close the breach with enough power. The same level of power used to open the breach in the first place. That is not easy to come by." Alasnirelan gives her an incredulous look.

"What harm could there be in powering up something we barely understand?" Alasnirelan says with a smile to Cassandra, who responds in kind.

"Hold onto that sense of humour." Cassandra says as they walk into the war room. Cassandra turns and gestures to the first person standing at the table. A blonde man wearing a coat with an obnoxious fur collar. 

"This is Commander Cullen, leader of the inquisitions' forces."

"Such as they are. We lost many soldiers in the valley, and I fear we will lose many more before this is over." He says with a small frown on his face. Cassandra gestures to another person standing at the table, a woman with her hair pinned up and a shirt the colour of sparkling gold.

"This is Lady Josephine Montilyet, our ambassador and chief diplomat." Cassandra says, and the lady who had just been introduced as Josephine sends a smile towards Alasnirelan.

"Andaran atish’an." Alasnirelan's eyes widen in surprise.

"You speak Elven?"

"You just heard the entirety of it, I'm afraid." Josephine says, and Alasnirelan, while slightly less surprised, is still in awe that she knows an elven greeting, which speaks towards at least an understanding for her people, if not some form of respect. 

"And of course, you know sister Leliana." Cassandra says, gesturing to Leliana at the end of the table, who then smiles in Alasnirelan's direction.

"My position here involves a certain degree of-" Cassandra interrupts Leliana in the middle of what she was saying.

"Leliana is our spymaster."

"Yes tactfully put Cassandra." Alasnirelan snickers a little at that, before straightening back up to look at them.

"Pleased to meet you all" Alasnirelan says, looking at Josephine directly before glancing at the others,

"I mentioned that your mark needs more power to close the breach for good." Cassandra says, getting to the root of why she is here.

"which means we need to approach the rebel mages for help." Leliana says, and Alasnirelan nods along in agreement.

"I still disagree. The templars would serve just as well." Alasnirelan frowns slightly at that, having had several run-ins with templars in the past, none of them good.

"We need power commander. Enough magic poured into that mark-" Cullen cuts Cassandra off again, which causes Alasnirelan's frown to deepen.

"might destroy us all. Templars could suppress the breach. Weaken it so-" Leliana cuts off Cullen's rant about the templars, which Alasnirelan is thankful for. She isn't sure if she could've held her tongue through all that.

"pure speculation." She says, and Alasnirelan uses everything in her power to suppress a smile.

"I was a templar. I know what they're capable of." Alasnirelan can't help but let a frown slip through. Her past experience with the templars- nope not thinking about that right now Alana.

"unfortunately neither of them are willing to speak to us yet. The Chantry has denounced the inquisition- and you, specifically." Josephine says.

"That didn't take long."

"Shouldn't they be busy arguing over who will become Divine?" Cullen says.

"Some are calling you- A Dalish Elf- the Herald of Andraste. And that frightens the Chantry. The remaining clerics have declared it blasphemy, and we heretics for harbouring you." Josephine says, glancing down at the pad of paper in front of her.

"Chancellor Roderick's doing, no doubt." Cassandra says briskly.

"It limits our options to be sure. Approaching the mages or the templars for help is currently out of the question." Josephine 

"Just how am I the "herald of andraste"?" 

"people saw what happened at the temple, how you stopped the breach from spreading. They have also heard about the woman seen in the rift. They believe this to be Andraste." Cassandra says.

"even if we tried to stop that view from spreading," Leliana says with a sly look, but then Cassandra cuts in with a smirk.

"Which we have not."

"The point is, everyone is talking about you," Leliana says with a satisfied smirk.

"That's quite the title, isn't it? How do you feel about that?" Cullen says, and Alasnirelan frowns in response. 

"I'm no herald of anything, certainly not Andraste." Alasnirelan snaps, and she is getting ready to remind them that she's dalish and believes in the elvhen gods. 

"I'm sure the chantry would agree with you." Cullen says with a smile, and Alasnirelan fights the urge to scowl. 

"People are desperate for a sign of hope. For some, you're that sign." Leliana says nonchalantly, as if she isn't telling her that she's being regarded as the herald of someone from a religion she doesn't believe it!

"And to others, a symbol of everything that's gone wrong." Josephine says just as nonchalant.

"so if I wasn't with the inquisition..."

"They'd probably still oppose us." Cullen says, trying to be helpful.

"And not having you with the inquisition isn't an option." Cassandra says, effectively ending the conversation.

"There is something you can do. A chantry cleric by the name of Mother Giselle has asked to speak to you. She is not far, and knows those involved far better than I. Her assistance could be invaluable." Leliana says.

"She's asked for me? should I be worried this is an ambush?" Alasnirelan asks, worried.

"From what I hear she's a gentle sort. Reasonable too. She's in the hinterlands tending to the wounded." Leliana sounds offended that she would suggest such a thing of this chantry mother.

"Look for other opportunities to expand the inquisitions' influence while you're there." Cullen remarks, and Josephine adds on to what he said.

"We need agents to extend our reach beyond this valley. and you're better suited than anyone to recruit them."

"In the meantime, let's think of other options. I won't leave this all to the herald." Cassandra says, and Alasnirelan shoots her a smile, thankful Cassandra is on her side. Alasnirelan immediately set out for the hinterlands, where she met Scout Harding, a rather kind dwarven scout, and Mother Giselle, who tells her she should meet with the chantry mothers in Val Royeaux. After she wanders around the hinterlands for a little while, Alasnirelan returns to Haven.

One morning, as she's wandering around talking to the people in Haven, she hears a very familiar voice talking to Cassandra.

"I'm looking for Alana."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Andaran atish’an: Enter this place in peace. A formal elven greeting.
> 
> Did I write this entire chapter to Heresetai's 2 sollvellan songs? Maybe. You should check her out if you don't know who she is, her covers are amazing! I'm very sorry for the cliffhanger, but it had to be done. Don't worry, I'll have more posted soon. For now, you'll just have to wonder who's looking for "Alana"! ;)
> 
> P.S. Cullen I'm very sorry for what I've done to you my baby. Alasnirelan has a legitimate reason for disliking Templars. But that will come into play later ;)


End file.
